Iraqs Inconvenient Truth :: Iraq War News Updates

Tuesday, 11 December 2007

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH — After four days of intense training, the fourth class of Iraqi National Policemen (NP) graduated from the leadership course, Nov. 29. The course is designed by Iraqis and taught by members of the 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi National Police Military Transition Team (NPTT).Maj. Robel Ramirez, 1-4-1 Battalion NPTT chief, said the policemen go through several training exercises during the week leading to an extensive exercise on the last day that combines all the tactics. The course is also taught according to what Col. Kassim, the 1-4-1 battalion commander wants his policemen to improve upon.

The skills learned include stacking to enter a house, tactical movement through a courtyard, clearing a house, reaction to contact and treating and evacuating a casualty. The policemen learned how to rely on each other as the exercise involved detaining a suspect and treating a casualty while under fire.

Ramirez, a native of Naranjito, Puerto Rico, said each class is unique, but that this class had more experienced and mature policemen. Since they have done police work longer, they had to focus on getting past preconceived notions of how to do things. Once they did that, Ramirez said they progressed and were very successful during their training.

“Overall, I’m really proud of the progress we have made in the past year,” he said of all the policemen that have been trained. “Training is the key.”

With each class that graduates, Ramirez said things are getting closer for them to become self-sustaining. The idea is to offer this training once a month, and eventually get the NPs to the point that they are teaching their own classes with Coalition forces merely there to interject if need be, Ramirez said.

“We’re closer than we were six months ago,” he said.

Capt. Woodrow D. Pengelly, operations officer for the 1-4-1 NPTT, said they would not have been able to train the NPs without Kassim, the NP’s strong and aggressive battalion commander.

Pengelly, a native of Portland, Ore., said Kassim supports the training and is willing to work around mission requirements to ensure his policemen get the proper training they need.

Master Sgt. Richard A. Jones, a native of Cadiz, Ohio, and the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 1-4-1 NPTT, said seeing younger American Soldiers working with the Iraqi Soldiers is good because it enables them to really learn about the culture as they might find themselves over here two or three more times.

“It expands their minds, and they get experience working with them,” he said.

Master Sgt. Jeff N. Curd, a native of Paducah, Kentucky, and an operations NCO for the 1-4-1 NPTT, said this is his second time being on a transition team. The first time he worked with the Iraqi Army.

“I love it,” he said. “Both times I asked to come and I probably would come back again.”

Curd said an American private is more experienced to train others just by working with his peers. The typical private goes to Basic Combat Training, then Advanced Individual Training and then arrives at his unit where he continues to train. The Iraqi National Policemen, Curd said, go from basic training to working. They learn on the job.

“They just do basic training and the next time they deal with IEDs is when they find them on the road,” he said.

Spc. Thomas B. Richardson, a native of Chambers County, Ala., Pfc. Allen J. Wick, a native of Medicine Lake, Mont., and Spc. Erik D. Rillera, a native of Cerritos, Calif., are all infantrymen in Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, based out of Fort Riley, Kansas, and currently attached to 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

Each Soldier played a role in the training. Richardson was the driver of a truck with a bomb, Wick was a shooter and Rillera was a casualty.

Wick said it makes him feel like he’s accomplishing something when he helps train the Iraqi National Policemen.

“They catch on pretty quick…,” he said.

Richardson, who made the NP’s work while detaining him, said the training made them realize what they will face with detainees. He said they learned that a detainee isn’t always just going to sit there and that they have to keep a vigilant watch.

Training was a little rough in the beginning, Richardson said, but overall it went well. “I think it gives them motivation to be working with us,” he said.

(Story by Spc. Courtney E. Marulli, 2nd IBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

In Other Recent Developments Here:

BAGHDAD — Despite recent drops in overall attacks against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces and innocent Iraqi civilians, extremist groups continue to launch rocket and mortar attacks landing within residential neighborhoods and commercial areas of the Iraqi capital.

BAGHDAD — Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers arrested two men who were suspected terrorists attempting to infiltrate back into the Rashid District, Dec. 6.

Tuesday, 11 December 2007 By Sgt. Robert Yde
1st Cavalry Division, Public Affairs

BAGHDAD — Soldiers from Multi-National Division - Baghdad recently conducted a health fair for students at the Al Aflaph elementary school in the Salhiyah neighborhood of Baghdad.

Preventive measures, such as practicing good personal hygiene, were the focus of the fair, conducted by Soldiers from Company E, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, and Company C, 15th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), both of which are part of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

“We’re here with a couple of people from 15th BSB’s preventive medicine section teaching the local children and teachers how to stay healthy – keeping germs down, brushing your teeth, just general public health,” said Army Capt. Greg Turner, commander of Company E and a Butler, Pa. native. “It’s just basically something to help better the community.”

A group of about 30 students attended a presentation, given by Army Sgt. Danielle Stephens, a preventive medicine specialist, while a group of teachers received a similar presentation from the brigade’s preventive medicine officer, 1st Lt. Gabrielle Caldara.

“We talked about bacteria and viruses, especially the importance of hand washing. Hand washing is the first defense in helping with any illness,” said Stephens, who is originally from Phoenix.

Several other topics also were discussed, including daily teeth brushing, healthy eating habits, and the dangers of mosquitoes and rabid animals.

Stephens said she and Caldara hope the teachers will have the information they need to follow up with what the students learned.

“It’s kind of like a train-the-trainer (concept),” Stephens said. “They will be able to continue on with the training with the kids and teach them how to wash their hands and things like that.”

Along with the presentation, Stephens also handed out hygiene items such toothpaste and hand sanitizer to the children. She said that while she has given similar types of presentations to American school children, this was the first time she has done this in Iraq. “I love working with the kids,” she said. “This has probably been one of the most enjoyable experiences that I’ve had here. Kids are the same everywhere, whether they are in Iraq or the United States.”

Stephens also said she was surprised by the level of knowledge the students already had as they successfully answered question after question she posed to them.

“They’re very aware, especially of rabies,” she said. “Some of the questions I asked about rabies and some of the pictures that we showed, they knew exactly what it was before I told them. So they’re very aware of what their environment is and what it takes to keep themselves safe; they’re pretty smart kids.”

Tuesday, 11 December 2007 By Spc. Shejal Pulivarti
1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI — Sheiks of all tribes, Iraqi Army and Police leaders, representatives of the Iraqi government and leaders from the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division and Multi-National Division-Baghdad gathered at an Iraqi Police station in Nassir Wa Salam,  to discuss further steps to advance bringing the region back to the government of Iraq during the Northwest Baghdad Regional Security Summit, Dec 6.

Approximately 1,000 sheiks and local leaders attended the second installment in a series of reconciliation meetings that have taken place between the Sunni and Shia sheiks in the 1st Cavalry Division’s area of operations. Tribal and governmental leadership from Abu Ghraib, Fallujah, Tarmiyah, and the Anbar province came together to meet with senior leaders from the Baghdad provincial government, national government and the Iraqi security forces.

The meeting was recognized by representatives of the prime minister, councilmen, senior Iraqi tribal and military leaders as well as the national party, ‘Iraq Awakening’.

“This meeting is a great opportunity to bring together local leaders, tribal leaders and government leaders to speak with the national and provincial government to develop solutions to the problems in the area.” said Boulder, Colo., native Maj. Geoffrey Norman, executive officer, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cav. Div. “It affords them the opportunity to exchange dialogue on how to move forward and rid the community of the cancer of extremism.”

The gathering focused on the development of a security sustained by Iraqi security forces supported by the government allowing Coalition forces to shift away from direct involvement in security to focusing on the efforts for establishing essential services headed by Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams.

“The people of this community and the government have demonstrated their willingness to serve,” said Lt. Col. Kurt Pinkerton, commander of 2-5 Cavalry. “That’s the reason security is the way it is; the people are willing to serve. This is the beginning of unity.”

By Ali al-Mawsawi
11 December 2007 (Azzaman)

China’s Shanghai Heavy Industry has started work on a giant power plant in Kut, the capital of the southern province of Wasit.

The $940 million plant is expected to pump some 1,300 megawatts of electricity into the Iraqi gird when completed. It is a huge step in upgrading the country’s national grid as all the current plants connected to it barely produce 5,000 megawatts.

Construction will go on full stream in January next year, according to a statement faxed to the newspaper.

The statement said an Iraqi delegation from the Ministry of Electricity has finalized the contract with the Chinese firm, the largest power deal the country signs since 1990.

The plant‘s output will meet needs of Wasit and other nearby provinces in the south, releasing additional capacity for national consumption.

Iraq needs up to 12,000 megawatts for non-stop power supply. Currently, the national capacity of 5,000 megawatts is usually crippled by acts of sabotage and fuel shortages.

Iraq has already spent $12 million leveling the ground in preparation for the coming of the Chinese firm. Iraq Updates

Iraqi FM says officials from Iran, Iraq, United States to meet on December 18.

Baghdad, 11 December 2007 (Middle East Online)

US and Iranian officials will hold another round of talks on Iraq’s security next week, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Monday, adding that cooperation from Iraq’s neighbours was improving.

Zebari said officials from Iran, Iraq and the United States would meet on December 18 to thrash out strategies aimed at quelling the violence in Iraq.

“This will be a technical meeting… not at ambassadors level… but at experts level. There are positive signals from Tehran and Washington,” Zebari told a news conference.

Asked if the meeting would constitute a fourth round of talks between the three parties, he replied: “Yes,” adding this would not be the last round of talks between the two arch-foes over Iraq.

“This is a technical committee made up of security experts, military, diplomats together. This committee is focused on security issues, so everybody agreed to resume talks on that basis,” he said.

“It doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be in the future further meetings at a different level, by the ambassadors or even higher level.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki announced on November 20 that Iran had agreed to a new round of talks with the United States on improving security in Iraq, but did not give a date.

The US embassy in Baghdad confirmed that the talks would be held on December 18.

“We have been asked by the Iraqi government to participate in a round of talks with Iran on Iraq security issues,” embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said.

“The talks will be held at the experts level on December 18. We have agreed to participate. Ambassador Marcie Ries, the embassy’s political-military counsellor, will lead the US delegation.”

Iran and the US have already held three rounds of talks over Iraq this year despite mounting tensions. The two foes have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1980.

Zebari said that neighbouring countries were helping more in curbing the bloodshed in Iraq.

“We feel that there has been better regional cooperation with the Iraqi government in terms of flow of foreign fighters, of terrorists, of assistance and interventions — this is due to the steps that the government has taken to engage our neighbours constructively,” Zebari said.

“For that purpose, I will travel today to Damascus, to Syria, in response to an invitation, just to emphasise that point.”

Zebari said Tehran was also assisting Baghdad in improving the situation in the country.

“As for the cooperation of Iran, we indeed have many indications to see that it has provided assistance. Of course, because of the overall situation, we always desire for more.

“But we feel there is a greater recognition and realisation that instability in Iraq will affect their interests sooner (rather) than later.”

US commanders have in the past accused Iran of providing covert support to Iraq extremists, but amid a sharp reduction in violence in recent weeks they have said the alleged support appears to have ended.

Iran has consistently denied providing Iraqi militias with funding or training.

Zebari cautioned that recent gains in security remain “fragile” and need to be backed by sustained reconciliation efforts.

“We need to support these gains with reconciliation,” Zebari said, adding that efforts were under way to steer key legislation through parliament that could boost national unity.

Bitterly divided members of parliament have been unable to agree on two bills — an oil and gas law and a de-Baathification law.

Zebari said the Baghdad government was aware that the delays in passing the bills could affect the security situation.

“There is an awareness in the government that time is of essence to sustain these (security) gains,” he said.

Zebari said it was still too early to comment on how long American forces would remain in Iraq.

“It is too early to determine… it will be decided jointly depending on the conditions on the ground,” he said, adding that other foreign forces could also be part of the new bilateral arrangements. Iraq Updates

Samarra, 10 December 2007 (Middle East Online)

Iraqi police raided a village near the hometown of Saddam Hussein in the hunt for his deputy Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, the most wanted former regime official still on the run, an official said on Saturday.

Abdullah Hussein Jbara, deputy governor of Salaheddin province of which Tikrit is the capital, said that forces raided the village of Al-Sada al-Nuaim on Friday after a tip that Duri was holed up there.

“The force did not find Duri but did find documents confirming his link with armed groups in northern provinces,” Jbara said.

The documents were recent letters written by insurgent leaders to Duri and included information on various factions and their operations, he added.

One document detailed a planned attack on Mosul’s Badush prison that took place in March.

Dozens of prisoners escaped during the prison break, according to the US military.

An Iraqi security official said troops saw an Opel car near a house in the village and after searching it they found a computer, small arms, night vision binoculars and 200,000 dollars in cash.

In October, media reports indicated that Duri had formed a new insurgent group called the Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation.

Duri was the number two in Iraq’s decision-making Revolutionary Command Council under Saddam.

The United States sees him as the heart of an alliance between Baathist loyalists and Islamist militants fighting US and Iraqi forces, and in November 2003 offered a 10-million-dollar reward for his death or capture.

Baghdad, 10 December 2007 (Gulf News)

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has confirmed that Iraqi forces will take over command of Basra within two weeks.

“Not that violence has ended, but we are able to move to provincial Iraqi control and that’s thanks to everything you have achieved,” Brown told British troops during a surprise visit to Iraq on Sunday.

Brown’s two-hour visit signals the start of what he hopes will be the start of Britain moving from a military to economic development mission in Iraq.

Brown said an economic adviser would be appointed to oversee development projects and create jobs for Iraqis.

British troops will take up a role Brown has described as “over-watch”, allowing Britain to largely end combat operations but remain on standby.

Brown said he had held discussions by phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, who recommended that local soldiers should take responsibility for security in Iraq.

The last British troops in Basra withdrew in September. The 4,500 remaining British troops in Iraq will drop to 2,500 by the spring of next year.

Sunday, 09 December 2007

CAMP STRIKER — Throngs of Iraqi key political leaders gathered at the home of Abid Hassan Saloom in Sadr Yusufiyah Dec. 6 to discuss the future of Iraq.The theme of the meeting was “Put the Law Back in Iraq” and it was attended by a multitude of prominent community leaders, Iraqi Security Forces and Iraqi Army officials. Of note were Dr. Ahmed Chalabi, former leader of the Iraqi National Congress, Sheik Somar, Yusufiyah nahia council president, 4th Iraqi Army Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Ali Jassim Mohammed Hassen Al-Frejee, Sheik Halal Al Hemdawni, as well as representatives from the Mahmudiyah council and the chief of the Mahmudiyah Iraqi Police.

An estimated 1,000 leaders from various sectors listened to several speakers talk about what it will take to achieve a safe, secure Iraq and discuss other reconciliation issues and the rebuilding of Iraq.

“Today’s governance meeting provided a forum for local leadership to interact with the government of Iraq – an entity which has been noticeably absent within the area,” said Capt. Ryan Bulger, intelligence officer for 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The unit provided security for the event, along with the Iraqi Army.

As the keynote speaker, Chalabi addressed topics that weigh heavily on the people of Iraq. He said it is very important to get every displaced Iraqi back to his home.

Too many families have had to grieve the loss of their sons and Chalabi said security is a priority.

“We need everyone here to feel like he is a part of government; this is our government,” he said, explaining that locals are key in securing Iraq’s future. “The government must support the people.”

Chalabi said he recognizes that obtaining the desired goals will be no easy feat, but said the people of Iraq deserve to have their requests answered.

Other issues addressed were the need for cell phone towers in the area, the importance of freedom of movement, the need to support the Iraqi Army and the attempt to complete the Yusifiyah Thermal Power Plant. Completion of the power plant would yield approximately 5,000 jobs.

Chalabi gave his word to take the concerns voiced at the meeting to “high-ranking officials in Baghdad”.

(Story by Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division)

In Other Recent Developments Here:

BAGHDAD — Coalition forces captured three wanted individuals and seven additional suspects during operations Sunday to disrupt al-Qaida networks in central and northern Iraq.

CAMP VICTORY — The number of Iraqi-led reconciliation efforts swelled over the past two weeks across Multi-National Division – Center, as local Iraqi leaders seek to capitalize on an improved security situation by developing the institutions that will enable long-term stability.

Sunday, 09 December 2007 Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — An insurgent safehouse in Arab Jabour was rendered useless, Dec. 4, by two joint direct attack ammunition bombs.

Although dropped by an Air Force F-16 Falcon jet, the operation was a combined effort conducted on the ground by Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga., and members of a Concerned Local Citizens (CLC) group in the area.

The chain of events began Dec. 2, when the CLCs conducted a daylight search of a suspected insurgent base of operations.

The citizens, led by Salah Mubarak, conducted the mission after they experienced a number of attacks around the abandoned building, said Capt. Eric Melloh, from Hunstville, Texas, commander, Company A, 1-30th Inf. Regt.

Tired of the violence, local residents including Mubarak’s cousin, who owned the structure, took proactive measures to stop the attacks.

The citizens went to the building to gather intelligence and document anything found with a digital camera supplied by Melloh.

Melloh said the citizens were aware of the enemy’s tactic of booby-trapping houses and found a pressure plate improvised explosive device (IED) on the second floor roof entrance. The initiator led to a recliner near the door, which the CLCs cut open to investigate.

Packed inside the chair, Melloh said, was about 50 pounds of unknown bulk explosives, which could have killed an entire infantry squad.

The infantry squad located in the area was led by Sgt. Shawn Moehnke, a Fort Dodge, Iowa, native.

Moehnke of the 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Company A, said he respects the bravery of the CLC group. Often they take on high-risk missions in the name of securing their homes from terrorist threats.

“They’re pretty good (at finding IEDs),” Moehnke said. “We trust them.”

First Lt. Russell Deal, Moehnke’s platoon leader, agreed; “I think they do a great job. They are fantastic at finding IEDs and caches,” he said.

Because of equipment limitations, it is often necessary to have Coalition forces aid in removing the devices.

“Each of us loves something about the other,” said Deal, from Charleston, S.C. He said his men love the CLCs’ skill at finding things and gathering intelligence, while the CLCs love the combat power and weaponry the Soldiers bring.

“In this sense we work together very well,” Deal added. “This is a great example of us working together with the Concerned Local Citizens.”

Moehnke, who was on the ground nearby helping evacuate civilians from the surrounding area, said seeing the building destroyed gave him and his Soldiers a good feeling.

“It takes out one more limitation we have. It is one less building we have to worry about,” he said. The CLCs, who often reported taking small arms fire from the building, were also excited at the operation’s results, Deal said.

“Any time we destroy an IED or any other threat to Soldiers it is a big boost for morale,” said Deal, whose battalion knows the pain of loss from house-borne IEDs, having suffered four casualties in August.

Motivated by the success, Deal said the CLCs and Soldiers will continue to push forward, riding the momentum against terrorists.

“We’ll follow up with continued recon patrols and overwatches. We’ll keep pushing them further south.”

Deal credits the partnership with the CLCs to good community relations between the Soldiers and the Arab Jabour residents.

“It goes back to before the Concerned Local Citizens, just treating the community with respect. We spend a lot of time together,” Deal said.

Knowing one day the Soldiers will leave, Deal said much of the time together is spent teaching them skills to take care of themselves, their families, community and nation.

“With some good training they’ll do just fine,” Deal said about the CLCs.

 Woman beaten on bus

(Provided)
Sarah Kreager suffered two broken bones in her left eye socket after nine teenagers allegedly attacked her on a city bus.

Dec 6, 2007 12:00 AM (1 day ago) by Luke Broadwater, The Examiner

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - As Sarah Kreager, 26, tried to sit down on a Baltimore City bus Tuesday, police say, a middle-schooler told her she couldn’t. When she attempted to take another seat, a middle-schooler wouldn’t let her. Finally, according to police, Kreager just sat down.

She was “immediately attacked” by nine students — three females and six males — from Robert Poole Middle School. They punched and kicked her at 2:59 p.m. at the intersection of 33rd Street and Chestnut Avenue, according to Maryland Transit Administration police.

Kreager was dragged off the bus and her boyfriend, Troy Ennis, attempted to get her back on, police said.

She sustained “serious injuries” and had to be transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, according to a police report.  Police spokeswoman.

All nine suspects, ages 14 and 15, were arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

Their bus tickets — provided by the school — have been revoked, Greene said.

“Riding the bus is a privilege,” she said. “Public safety is our primary concern.”

Greene said the investigation into the incident was ongoing and she didn’t know whether the attack had anything to do with the victim’s race.

The suspects in the incident are black. The victim is white, according to the police report.

Baltimore resident David Briggs, who lives near the crime scene, said the incident underscores Baltimore’s pervasive crime.

“Now, I can’t even ride the bus,” he said.

Examiner Staff Writer Stephen Janis contributed to the article.

lbroadwater @ baltimoreexaminer.com

Examiner.com Related Articles:

• Bus Attack Investigated As Hate Crime
• Students blame beating victim
• Mayor condemns ‘deplorable’ violence

The story below is important to pass along for three reasons. First, as the last paragraph notes, it reveals the mindset and intent of al Qaeda and its allies. Second, we cannot afford to become complacent, no matter how calm circumstances may appear around us. And third, it is essential that, in next year’s elections, America chooses a President who understands the long-term threat arrayed against us and has the experience to deal with it. These are some of the key reasons why ACT for America plans next year to research candidate stands on national security and Islamofascism and to distribute voter information flyers to voters across the country.
Jihadis Post Scenario for the

Defeat of the United States

By Abdul Hameed Bakier, Erich Marquardt
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2373415

On May 14, jihadi forum users Abu Kandahar and Roslan al-Shami posted a five-point scenario for the collapse of the United States and the rise of the Islamic ummah, entitled, “The Next Strikes in the Heart of America, When and How.” It appeared on the al-ommh.net forum, although at least one other jihadi forum, alhanein.com, reposted the scenario. The posting outlines a scenario for attacking the United States, although the sheer size of the operation suggests that it is jihadi propaganda and not an actual plan that could be operationalized. The alleged operation is dedicated to Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State of Iraq.

The first stage in the scenario involves multiple terrorist attacks on three major U.S. cities, preferably with nuclear weapons, using an unspecified number of trucks. The scenario places priority on attacking New York City because it is the central artery of the U.S. economy and it would prove that the mujahideen are capable of recurrent attacks on the same target. The second city to attack is Los Angeles, an important West Coast “atheist” city. The third “city” to be attacked is Florida because, they argue, it is an East Coast congregation city and has the Kennedy Space Center (considering the description, the statement’s authors probably meant Orlando). While those are the three primary cities for attack, the writers of the document suggest that if the mujahideen wish to expedite the collapse of the United States, they should also conduct attacks in Seattle since it is a strategic border city; Washington, DC, the political center of the United States; and cities in Texas, since the “biggest oil companies” are located there.

According to the writers, the purpose of attacking these specific cities is to cause a sharp decline in the U.S. economy; mass amounts of casualties; the support for the mujahideen by anti-U.S. countries such as Cuba and Venezuela; a decrease in American support for their own government; the withdrawal of the “blasphemous” U.S. military from Islamic territories; mass military desertions; and the inability to fuel U.S. military fighter jets. The document also outlines how the fallout from such large-scale attacks would cause the U.S. military to return to the United States in order to conduct massive relief operations. They refer to the example of how Hurricane Katrina overburdened the U.S. National Guard, calling the hurricane a “Soldier of God.”

After such attacks, they argue that the Islamic State of Iraq will seize the opportunity to launch mass strikes on the apostates in the Iraqi military and police, paving the way for the third stage of the scenario: the commencement of the golden era of the triumphant Islamic conquests that includes the implementation of Sharia, the liberation of the Arabian Peninsula, the removal from power of “the U.S. ruling family” in Jordan and, finally, the big march toward Palestine. In the end, even Washington, DC, will fall to the mujahideen and that will conclude the final stage of Islamic control of the globe.

The scenario appears less of a planned operation than a hope for the fulfillment of a prophecy. The supposed factuality of the scenario is based on various verses in the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings. Nevertheless, some of the users on the forums who discussed the scenario asserted that all of the details to execute the operation had already been prepared. One such user, by the alias of Abu Nedal, said, “For your knowledge, the operations are ready and awaiting the orders from our leader Osama bin Laden, God protect him, to decide what he deems appropriate either to strike now or to wait.”

Islamist extremists have always fabricated factitious scenarios for victory over the West based on their own interpretations of Quranic prophecies in times of crisis and defeat. Nevertheless, al-Qaeda has shown prior interest in acquiring nuclear materials for use in an attack, and it is necessary to take such forum postings seriously as they display the mindset and the intent, although perhaps not the capability, of al-Qaeda-affiliated militants.

————————-

ACT for America
P.O. Box 6884
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
www.actforamerica.org

ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam.

Baghdad, 07 December 2007 (AFP)

The top American general in Iraq, David Petraeus, expressed satisfaction on Thursday at the progress he said was being made in Iraq but added that the military was still far from any “victory dance.” “Nobody in uniform is doing victory dances in the end zone,” Petraeus told reporters traveling with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for a previously unannounced visit. The end zone is where competitors in American football have to get the ball in order to score points.

Gates said on Wednesday that the violence in Iraq had dropped to levels not seen since the bombing of a Shiite shrine in the central town of Samarra that unleashed brutal Shiite and Sunni conflict nearly two years ago. He said the reduction in violence meant the “goal of a secure, stable and democratic Iraq is within reach.”

On Thursday, Gates traveled to Bahrain where more than 200 ministers, security officials and anti-terrorism experts from around 50 countries have gathered for a four-day conference on regional security.

Before wrapping up his Iraq visit, Gates held talks with Petraeus in Baghdad.

“It was a closed meeting between the two to discuss items of interest to the defense secretary and General Petraeus,” US military spokesman Lieutenant Justin Cole said in a statement, without offering details.

Petraeus, who in September announced to Congress the first possible elements of an American troop drawdown in Iraq, was more cautious on Thursday.

“We work hard to build up on the progress made,” but “we have to be careful not to feel too successful,” he said.

“Certain days we certainly feel very good but there are still attacks. We have seen continued improvements,” he said, adding that there was “much hard work still to be done and issues to be addressed.”

Petraeus attributed the drop in violence to series of factors, including a rise in the number of Iraqi security personnel, rejection of Al-Qaeda by the Sunni Arabs, rising support from neighboring countries like Syria and a six-month cease-fire by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Mehi Army militia.

He said the US military is keenly watching Iran and its promise to help in curbing bloodshed in Iraq.

“We have seen reduction of signature attacks” with explosively formed penetrators (EFPS) Washington has blamed on Tehran, but “we are all in a wait-and-see mode,” he said.

Commenting on the drop in EFP use, Gates said in Bahrain he thought it was “a little too soon to tell whether the decline we are seeing is more from more success from finding caches, disrupting networks as well as the decision on part of some of the Shiite groups to lower the level of violence.”

“How that ties together with what the Iranians may or may not be doing is just too early to tell,” he added.

The US military has regularly charged that Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite extremists smuggle EFPs, fist-sized bombs that can cut through a heavily armored military vehicle, and use them against coalition forces.

But last month Gates told reporters in Washington that he believed Tehran had assured Baghdad of helping in controlling the bloodshed.

“We are hopeful Iran will take up its promise to stop,” Petraeus said, stressing that the military continued to chase Al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters.

“Rest assured we try to make the adjustments necessary to pursue them and not establish the kind of bases like Baquba and other places,” the general said, referring to the city north of Baghdad which has Al-Qaeda hideouts.

Petraeus also said the US military is giving more and more responsibility to Iraqi forces and adopting a “flexible” approach as in Anbar Province in the west. Since last year violence in Anbar has dropped, as local Sunni tribes align with the US military and fight Al-Qaeda militants.

Reports suggest that more and more Sunni Arabs, who once fought the US military, are now changing sides. The military calls them Concerned Local Citizens (CLC) and uses them as neighborhood guards.

On Thursday, Petraeus made a case for these CLCs again, saying they offer intelligence in areas where there are no security forces. He, like Gates, called for an increase in CLCs and their eventual integration into the security forces.

US forces, meanwhile, killed three “terrorists and detained 19 [in] operations Thursday to disrupt Al-Qaeda,” the military said in a statement.

Arbil, 07 December 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani today opened the Erbil Cardiac Centre, the largest and best equipped heart surgery hospital in Iraq.

The Erbil Cardiac Centre is an excellent example of the public-private partnership initiative promoted by the KRG. The centre was built with government funds and will be administered by a private company.

Prime Minister Barzani said, “All of Iraq, not just the Kurdistan Region, should be proud of this project. The people of the Kurdistan Region, and the other parts of Iraq, need no longer travel abroad for heart-disease treatment. From now on, all Iraqi citizens can come to Erbil and benefit from the European-standard service offered here.”

In a forward looking statement the Prime Minister said, “This hospital is a symbol of our vision for the future. Today it is the only hospital to be built in a modern way, with the best machines and technology, and more importantly, well trained staff. But we are determined to build more such hospitals all over the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. I am sure that with the sincere effort and hard work of our people we can build a prosperous country.”

The Prime Minister added, “Be sure that we can achieve our goals if all of us commit to the constitution, the principles of democracy and federalism.”

Speaking of a government’s responsibilities, the Prime Minister stated, “We strongly believe that the KRG has many obligations towards its citizens. Amongst the most important of these are the provision of a secure and stable environment, healthcare, education, and policies that match the modern world, reward initiative and encourage the private sector.

Dr. Zryan Yones, the KRG Minister for Health, thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership, vision and support of the project. He said that heart disease was a major problem for people in the Kurdistan Region, that it was especially prevalent in children, and that the c entre would play an important role in combating the illness.

The Erbil Cardiac Centre cost 16 million US dollars to build and equip and took just two years to build. It has a staff of 300 medical professionals, and both pediatric and geriatric care units. Emergency Management Centre, led by Dr Ali Sindi, is the private company that will administer the centre. Iraq Updates

07 December 2007 (Al SumariaTV)

The Gulf Cooperation Council Summit has come to an end in Doha though resolutions stemming thereof did not exceed expectations. While the final communiqué dealt with different gulf and regional issues, it issued a series of recommendations without stepping up to decisive stands.

In regards to the Iraqi issue, GCC expressed relief to security improvement in Iraq calling on Iraq’s Cabinet to double efforts on the path of national reconciliation, introduce required constitutional amendments and disband armed militias while ending illegal arming. GCC affirmed its willingness to cooperate with Iraqi authorities in fighting terrorism.

Lebanese crisis was strongly at hand during GCC Summit as GCC final communiqué hoped all Lebanese parties to reach consensus on electing the President and to open up to initiatives in this intent, in order to preserve Lebanon’s unity, independence and sovereignty.

The Palestinian issue was put on the table of discussion as well as GCC declared it expects further positive steps after Annapolis Conference stressing the importance of committing to the negotiations timetable that expired by the end of 2008.

Concerning Iran’s nuclear crisis, the communiqué reiterated GCC countries’ determination to find a peaceful solution to Iran’s nuclear issue through dialogue between Tehran and the international community.

On another level, GCC leaders reminded that they will stick to the originally set 2010 deadline to issue a unified Gulf currency and maintain their currencies’ peg to the US dollar. GCC countries leaders announced as well their plan to launch a common market in January 2008 aimed to treat GCC nationals equally without discrimination in every economic field. Iraq Updates

Baghdad, 07 December 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

raqi police forces arrested 23 wanted persons, and defused eight explosive charges over the past 48 hours under the ten-month-old security plan launched by Iraqi security forces in the Iraqi capital, an official source said on Thursday.

“Iraqi security forces arrested 23 wanted men and defused eight improvised explosive devices in both sides of Baghdad over the last 48 hours,” the official spokesman for the Baghdad Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, Brigadier Qassim Atta, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by phone.

“Five arms depots containing large amounts of ammunition and explosives was found during the operations,” according to Atta.

“The military operations covered several parts of Baghdad’s eastern and western sides and suburbs,” Atta indicated.

Eight Iraqi soldiers were wounded during these operations, Atta added.

By BEN LANDO

Washington, 07 December 2007 (United Press International)

Big Oil’s big dreams are close to coming true as Iraq’s Oil Ministry prepares deals for the country’s largest oil fields with terms that aren’t necessarily what companies were hoping for but considered a foot in the door of the world’s most promising oil sector.

Iraq’s proven oil reserves are only smaller than those in Saudi Arabia and Iran — and the country is only about 30 percent explored.

Iraq produces about 2.4 million barrels per day, a recent increase from the 2 million bpd post-invasion average, but far below what its reserves could handle. Its oil sector is suffering from decades of Saddam Hussein-era mismanagement, U.N. sanctions and the effects of the current war.

The decision of how to develop a resource that provides for nearly the entire federal budget is political and controversial. To each side’s alarm, the national government will rely on a Saddam-era law and Iraq’s Kurdish region is signing deals on its own.

Details of negotiations between the ministry and international oil majors are being kept quiet, though media are picking up on pieces of deal-making.

MarketWatch reports executives from BP and Shell were to meet with Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani following Wednesday’s meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in Abu Dhabi. The global energy information firm Platts reports top ministry and company officials are to meet in Amman this week.

Shahristani himself dropped hints to United Press International in a recent interview. He said he’s moving forward with oil deals despite the lack of a new national oil law, a draft of which has been stalled in negotiations for more than a year.

“This has nothing to do with the national oil law. There is no timeline. Whenever we finish our discussions we’ll just sign the contracts,” he told UPI on the sidelines of the OPEC heads of state summit last month.

“This is basically technical-support contracts,” he said, adding the contracts will not be the result of a bidding process. “Selected companies will offer us technical support that we need to develop our producing fields.”

Develop producing fields? “Yes, only.”

With the companies who are helping to, who have been studying them, who have been doing this work? “Yes. Exactly. That’s right.”

How many fields? “We will not be announcing anything until we sign the contracts.”

Super giants? “They are the super giants, yes.”

Super giant fields are those with at least 5 billion barrels in reserves, and in Iraq include the Kirkuk, Majnoon, Rumaila North and South, West Qurna and Zubair fields. Reserves of the Nahr Umr and East Baghdad fields may also reach 5 billion barrels, and there are many large producing fields rumored to be on the negotiating table.

The world’s largest oil companies are keen on entering Iraq, as their own booked reserves decline and a growing bulk of global reserves are under nationalized systems.

Oil company officials met with U.S. officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, prior to the war and since, to discuss contracts for Iraq’s oil. Former top officials of the companies were tasked by the U.S.-led occupation with advising the Oil Ministry.

“This means that it is pay-off time for the majors that have been running training courses for Oil Ministry personnel, reservoir surveys, drawn up work-plans and given general advice during the past years,” said Samuel Ciszuk, Middle East energy analyst for Global Insight. “It is clever.”

He said forgoing bidding allows the ministry to move quickly, as well as prove wrong critics, such as the Iraqi Kurds.

According to insiders to whom UPI talked recently as well as media reports, Shell, which produced a technical study of Kirkuk in 2005, wants a deal for the field. BP wants one for Rumaila, which it studied last year. Shell and BHP Billiton are angling for the Missan field in the south. ExxonMobil is interested in the southern Zubair field while the Sabha and Luhais fields are being targeted by Dome and Anadarko Petroleum.

ConocoPhillips is talking with the ministry about the West Qurna oil field, officials with Russian major Lukoil told Dow Jones Newswires. Lukoil, of which Conoco is a 20 percent shareholder, had a deal with Saddam Hussein for West Qurna in the 1990s, but it was cancelled prior to the war.

Chevron and Total have teamed up in a bid for the Majnoon field.

Less than 1 percent of Iraq’s proven reserves are located in the area controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government, but limited successful exploration and geological formations have the KRG excited with prospects.

Bolstered by contempt for central control and the sluggish pace of the oil law, the KRG has passed its own regional oil law and signed more than 20 exploration and production deals with international oil firms.

Shahristani has called the KRG deals “illegal” and a dispute is slowly brewing in Baghdad. None of the major companies has signed with the KRG, fearing being blacklisted by Baghdad from the rest of Iraq’s bounty.

Shahristani, growing impatient himself, has started his negotiations, though the KRG claims the Saddam-era law is illegitimate. Washington, which maintains an emphasis on approving a new oil law, has given Shahristani its blessing.

Iraq’s oil sector was fully nationalized in 1972 and power was concentrated in the hands of the Iraqi National Oil Company. INOC is temporarily defunct, and its role has been incorporated into the ministry.

The ministry can sign the service contract deals on its own, though it may need to get Cabinet approval first.

But if it were to sign any risk or concession contracts, such as production-sharing contracts like the KRG, it would need parliamentary approval under the Saddam-era law.

And while service contracts would be highly profitable for companies, Big Oil wants risk contracts. Such deals are usually long term, covering its exploration costs and guaranteeing a profit if oil is found, and allowing them to put the reserves it discovers on the books, a boon in Wall Street’s eyes.

Aside from security — which if it stays bad would make the deals costlier for Iraq — there’s relatively little risk in exploring for crude in Iraq. Historically it has been easy to find, inexpensive to produce and top quality.

Supporters of the popular nationalized structure in Iraq — led by the powerful oil unions — and campaigners who fear the ultimate end to the war is the heist of Iraq’s oil wealth are against risk contracts.

Hassan Jumaa Awad, president of the umbrella Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions, told UPI in London last week that service contracts bringing new technology and training will suffice.

“National expertise and resources,” he said, “are capable of enhancing production in the oil industry.”Iraq Updates

Thursday, 06 December 2007 Task Force Marne Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Iraqi Police in the Mada’in Qada recently reported yearly lows for violent crime to officers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT).

The 3rd HBCT deployed to Iraq in March in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and has operated in the qada, southeast of Baghdad, throughout the deployment.

Iraqi Police in the qada forward crime statistics to their Coalition Force partners at the end of each month. The statistics are compiled by police officers at the five police stations throughout the qada.

For November, Iraqi Police reported eight murders and five kidnappings. This is a significant drop from the yearly high in May of 37 murders and 22 kidnappings.

“In 2005 the Mada’in Qada had 355 murders. In 2006 the qada had 631 murders. This year we expect to have about 290 murders,” said Maj. David Fivecoat, from Delaware, Ohio, 3rd HBCT operations officer. “The downward trend in murders is due to several reasons: the work of the Soldiers of the 3rd HBCT, the development of over 3,000 Concerned Local Citizens, and the continued improvement of the Iraqi Police. The decrease in murders is a key indicator that safety and security are returning to the qada. It is an encouraging sign for its 1.2 million residents.”

Capt. Liz Cain, 59th Military Police Company commander, attributes the drop in crime to improvements in the Iraqi Police, security, and the economy. She further explained that Concerned Local Citizen groups have contributed to the improving security situation.

“These individuals are not only taking a stand against terrorists, but also against lawless behavior within their communities,” Cain said.

Mada’in Iraqi Police District Commander, Brig. Gen. Adnan Jamad Kathim said through a translator, “misdemeanor crime decreased 40 percent, improvised explosive device incidents decreased 66 percent and car bombings decreased 100 percent from October.”

Cain believes Iraqi Police training is a significant factor in the criminal activity decrease in the qada as well. Dozens of Policemen have attended the Ministry of Interior (MOI) investigative courses in Baghdad.

“Recently, many Iraqi Policemen have been educated on crime scene procedures and evidence collection,” she said. “They have come back from the MOI investigative course with the ability to piece a case together.”

When evidence and paperwork is collected and taken to the judge, Cain said, a warrant is issued for the arrest, or if the individual is already detained, he is permitted to be held pending a trial date.

“The completion of this process and the actual convictions and jailing of criminals have increased the population’s trust in the Iraqi Police and encourages them to call the police at the first sign of suspicious behavior,” Cain said. “This trust between the populace and the Iraqi Police has grown and they have become partners in fighting crime. We can expect the crime levels to continue to drop.”

The 59th MP Company is currently attached to the 3rd HBCT. The 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga., has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March.

Thursday, 06 December 2007 By Spc. Angel D. Martinez
113th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAGHDAD — Adhamiyah, a northeastern district of the Iraqi capital, was once a violent hotspot where residents were afraid to go to the store. However, with the help of concerned citizens and volunteers, Iraqis have once again begun to fill the market streets.

“When we first got here and rode around in the evenings it was like a ghost town,” said High Point, N.C. native, Sgt. 1st Class Steven Pizzino, the platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment. “Now, when we ride around, the streets are full of people, hundreds of people.”

Not long ago there was a security issue concerning local merchants. Local thugs and terrorists were taking advantage of small markets and extorting shop owners, collecting a “fee” in order for them to keep their businesses open, said Pizzino.

In addition to the extortion, locals were afraid to go shopping in the streets due to random attacks by terrorists.

The security issue has been gradually improving thanks to a joint effort by the Iraqi Army, the local Iraqi Security Volunteers and the troopers from 3-7 Cav, who have been a constant presence in the streets of Adhamiyah.

The improvement in security is starting the money flow in the neighborhoods, and that is going to give a fresh start to local citizens, said Dallas, Texas native, 1st Lt. Zachary Hoover, the executive officer for Troop A, 3-7 Cav.

It is not just a boost of the economy of Adhamiyah. The picture of people shopping in the streets will give residents a feeling of security, passing that feeling along to others, said Hoover.

Contractors are constantly calling, offering their services to see how they can help bring their city back to normal, he added. “For the first time, in the last couple of weeks, we have people calling to work with us,” said Hoover. “Where, as before we had to find them.”

The fact that abandoned houses are being reoccupied by people who moved out of town because of the violence is a sign of life flourishing in Adhamiyah, said Pizzino. Locals are calling family members, friends and old neighbors to invite them to move back in, he added.

Pizzino gives all the credit for the town’s success to its people. The locals are helping the Iraqi Security Forces and Volunteers as well as Coalition forces by pointing out where the bad guys are and notifying them of anything that looks suspicious, he said.

“The people of Adhamiyah are the ‘big plus’ factor in the whole area getting better,” said Pizzino. “We are helping them to help themselves, and it is working.”

“If it keeps going the way it’s going now, it’ll be like it’s a totally different city,” said Pizzino. “Six months from now there should be no violence, really whatsoever. All the trash will be cleaned up, and the (electrical) power should be better than what it is now.”

Troop A has many projects scheduled for Adhamiyah. A contractor is being hired to clean and repair sewer systems throughout the city. A school in the middle of the market area has been identified for repair by a contractor as well. They are trying to expand the market zone and place more trash bins in strategic points throughout the commercial area.

Thursday, 06 December 2007

BAGHDAD — When Sgt. Jason Stisser, of “Outlaw” Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, found out he was coming back to Iraq, he quickly brushed up on his Arabic. That preparation has been benefiting his platoon in its current duties.Based out of Forward Operating Base Prosperity in central Baghdad, the unit, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, covers the Karkh district.

In a recent clearing mission dubbed Operation Saber Sweep, the white and blue platoons of 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, went from apartment building to apartment building gathering census information on area residents.

Recently, many of the residents complained of wrongful eviction notices. The Soldiers went around collecting data such as lease agreements or ownership documents to make sure the residents would not be further harassed.

As their Stryker vehicles rolled up to the apartments before sunrise, the group of Soldiers, who are deployed from Vilseck, Germany, cleared each of the floors before waking up most residents. “We have to get here early before they head to work,” said Staff Sgt. Joaquin Reyna, of Fresno, Calif.

Stisser’s ability to converse with the local populace has helped not only to bring the Soldiers a cheese-and-bread breakfast during the mission, but also to make their job of obtaining information from the Karkh residents easier. “It’s such a big deal when you try to speak their language,” the Nashville native said. “Just like at our home station, I don’t think we should be walking around Germany without learning how to say, ‘Excuse me, please and I’m sorry,’ … just the basic stuff.”

Although their platoons have Iraqi interpreters with them, the anomaly of a westerner who speaks Arabic seems to bring about trust. Stisser’s interaction with residents, merchants and Iraqi Army Soldiers makes it easier on the rest of his unit.

“There’s a stigma with what we do; they think we think they are terrorists or something,” Stisser said. “What I try to tell them (is that) all I need is info.”

Stisser started learning conversational Arabic in 2005, when he was deployed to Taji, Iraq, with 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), from Fort Hood, Texas. He learned simple phrases from his interpreters to get children to go buy drinks and snacks from local vendors. Now, as he and his unit live out of Coalition Outpost Ramagon together in Karkh, Stisser spends more time speaking to Iraqi Army Soldiers. His fellow scouts started calling him “jundee,” which means “Soldier” in Arabic.

“He’s the closest thing we have to an (Iraqi Army Soldier),” joked Sgt. Kevin Baker, of Tampa, Fla.

Stisser, who refers to himself as a traditionalist, said he honors the Iraqi culture because he considers himself the same. “I tell everybody that all you have to do is look at the Old Testament,” he said. “A lot of their customs come from their religion. I respect those who are traditionalist. It’s just the little things. They’ll bring you in and have chai (tea) with you.”

Stisser is studying Arabic through interactive computer software, but learns a lot by carrying index cards with a few vocabulary words. “Right now, my grammar is like: ‘Me Tarzan, you Jane,’” he said. “Sometimes, I’ll get into a conversation with an (Iraqi Soldier) and get in way over my head. So, I’ll have to bring an interpreter over.

“I try to use each of these words in a conversation at least one time a day,” he said, pointing to the list of phonetically written words. “My goal is, by March, to go with my section and see if we have a need for interpreters for certain missions. Sometimes, I feel like it’s not helping out the platoon yet, which is my biggest priority.”

(By Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim, U.S. Army)

In Other Recent Developments Here:

BAGHDAD — Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 19 suspects during operations Thursday to disrupt al-Qaida operations along the Tigris River Valley.

CAMP VICTORY — The number of Iraqi-led reconciliation efforts swelled over the past two weeks across Multi-National Division – Center as local Iraqi leaders seek to capitalize on an improved security situation by developing the institutions that will enable long-term stability.

The WorldNetDaily story below is a triumph of good investigative journalism. CAIR (The Council on American-Islamic Relations) repeatedly denies ties to terrorist organizations, but the evidence disputing those denials continues to grow. As the old saying goes, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” In CAIR’s case, there’s so much smoke CAIR must be hoping that the smoke will blind our eyes from seeing the fire.

HOMELAND INSECURITY
CAIR called ‘turnstile’ for terrorist suspects
‘Proven record of senior officials being indicted, imprisoned, deported from U.S.’

But a review of federal criminal court documents, past IRS 990 tax records and Federal Election Commission records detailing donor occupations, reveals that Washington-based CAIR has been associated with a disturbing number of convicted terrorists or felons in terrorism probes, as well as suspected terrorists and active targets of terrorism investigations.

“Their offices have been a turnstile for terrorists and their supporters,” said one FBI veteran familiar with recent and ongoing cases involving CAIR officials.

As previously reported, three CAIR officials have been linked to terrorism. But WND has learned that at least 11 other CAIR officials have been caught up in terror investigations, bringing the total to 14.

Congressional leaders say they are warning lawmakers and other Washington officials to disassociate from the group due to its growing terror ties.

“Groups like CAIR have a proven record of senior officials being indicted and either imprisoned or deported from the United States,” said U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., co-founder of the House Anti-Terrorism/Jihad Caucus.

CAIR itself recently was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in an alleged scheme to funnel $12 million to the terrorist group Hamas. In the Holy Land Foundation case, federal prosecutors also listed CAIR as a member of the U.S. branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a worldwide jihadist movement that gave rise to Hamas, al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. The government will retry the Holy Land case, which ended in a hung jury.

“There was a lot of evidence presented at the recent Holy Land Foundation trial which exposed CAIR and others as front groups for the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States,” Myrick said.

Still, CAIR is lobbying House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and other sympathetic members of Congress to pressure the Justice Department to expunge its name from the case, arguing the negative publicity has hurt membership and fundraising.

The federal judge during the trial refused a written request by the group to strike its name from the list of co-conspirators. The petition is still pending before the court.

CAIR denies supporting terrorism and continues to claim to be a “moderate” voice for Muslims in America. The group says its critics are the extremists, including radio personality Michael Savage, whom the group is now attacking with a boycott campaign. So far it has convinced Wal-Mart, OfficeMax, AT&T, JCPenney and other companies to stop advertising on Savage’s popular show.

In response, Savage last week filed a lawsuit against CAIR, accusing the organization of being a “political vehicle of international terrorism” that seeks to do “material harm to those voices who speak against the violent agenda of CAIR’s clients.”

Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for CAIR, told WND the group would not comment on Savage’s action until the document had been reviewed.

CAIR, which runs 33 offices and chapters nationwide, also recently helped defeat an anti-terror plan by Los Angeles police to map the local Muslim community for extremist neighborhoods. Now it’s pressuring GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to back down from his position against appointing a Muslim to his Cabinet.

Critics counter that CAIR has no legitimate voice to make such complaints, because the group is itself an extremist organization that has employed or appointed to its boards of directors and advisers an inordinate number of radical co-conspirators, suspected and convicted terrorists, and other criminals.

To read the rest of this article, Click Here.

American Congress for Truth

P.O. Box 6884
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
http://www.americancongressfortruth.org

Blackanthem Military News

By Multi-National Division - North PAO
Dec 4, 2007 - 7:24:35 AM

Muslim religious pilgrims board the first commercial flight to leave Mosul in 14 years since U.S. military forces declared the city a no-fly zone in 1993. Around 148 passengers boarded the Iraqi Airways flight destined for Baghdad, and then continued on to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to take part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Dec. 2. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Patrick Lair, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

MOSUL, Iraq - For the first time in 14 years, a commercial airlines flight departed the Mosul Airport Dec. 2, carrying Muslim religious pilgrims on their annual trek to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The Mosul Airport, built in 1992, had not seen commercial airline traffic since U.S. military forces declared the city a no-fly zone in 1993. After recent cooperation between by Iraqi and U.S. government agencies, and employing local workers, the airport was rebuilt with the intent to continue commercial air service to Saudi Arabia and other locations.

Around 10:30 Sunday night, 152 Hajj pilgrims departed on Iraqi Airways Flight 020, bound for Baghdad, where they were to board another flight for Saudi Arabia.

“The Iraqi Airlines staff here performed wonderfully, overcoming operational obstacles in stride,” said R.C. Shackelford, provincial program manager in Ninewa. “The process will only get better with each experience.”

“This is a significant step for the revitalization of the economy, not just (for) Mosul, but all of northern Iraq,” said Jason Hyland, team leader for the Ninewa Provincial Reconstruction Team. “December 2 was a great day for the Iraqi people.”

In partnership with Ninewa’s Provincial Council and Governor Kashmoula, the U.S. Department of State contributed $3.2 million to help renovate the passenger terminal. Other funding came from the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Finance.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

A security agent inspects an Iraqi Airways flight at the Mosul Airport shortly before it left to carry 148 passengers on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 2. The departure marked the first commercial flight to leave Mosul since U.S. military forces declared the city a no-fly zone in 1993. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Patrick Lair, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

A Mosul Airport employee cheers as the first commercial flight to leave Mosul in 14 years departs the terminal to take religious pilgrims on an annual Hajj visit to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Around 148 passengers were on board the flight Dec. 2, which marked the reopening of the Mosul Airport for the first time since U.S. military forces declared the city a no-fly zone in 1993. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Patrick Lair, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Tuesday, 04 December 2007

CAMP STRIKER — More than 800 residents of Iraqi Family Village (IFV) were treated here recently by 25 Iraqi and two American healthcare providers.  The patients sought aid for various reasons, including common cold symptoms, dermatological issues and asthma.Task Force Vigilant, the base-defense unit for Camp Victory, was responsible for the overall planning, preparation and execution of the coordinated medical engagement (CME), since the IFV falls within its area of operations. Nearly 8,000 residents live in the IFV, many of whom moved into the area after the fall of the regime in 2003.

Members of the ‘Rakkasans’ from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), played a role by providing security and crowd control, and oversight for all medical operations and medical personnel from Company C, 626th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT).

Team Rak is an element of Task Force (TF) Vigilant and had 15 Soldiers involved in the CME. The team’s primary mission was to provide inner security of the site.

This is the third such event for TF Vigilant in a three-month period, although it is the first mission in which the Rakkasans participated. The TF’s stated goal was two-fold: to provide much-needed medical care for IFV residents and to promote the ability of Iraqi leaders to provide for the needs of Iraqis.

Consequently, the residents of IFV will have confidence in their town council’s ability to coordinate medical undertakings in the future.

The medical engagement was another endeavor to put an Iraqi face on healthcare in the area, according to Capt. Alex Montgomery, primary planner for Co. C, 626th BSB, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT), which provided dental and medical personnel and supplies, as well as logistical support for the event. It also gave the unit a chance to provide one-on-one medical training to local national and Iraqi Army doctors.

“Because there is no (medical) facility in the area we wanted to get healthcare and pharmaceuticals to many local nationals who, due to economic issues, don’t have a way or financial means to get healthcare and medication for themselves and their children,” Montgomery explained.

Task Force 62, a medical brigade formed approximately three months ago, provided two Iraqi-born American doctors who have Iraqi credentials to practice medicine. Several local national medical personnel from the Baghdad international airport medical clinic rendered services, as well.

Supporting the return to normalcy, TF 62 attempts to add momentum to the medical infrastructure by gathering information about the condition of medical care and clinics, according to John Mitchell, military analyst and licensed physician’s assistant with TF 62.

“We go out here with cooperative engagements and provide medical care and get information from the patients as to what kind of care they’re getting, how often they get to be seen and how hard it is to be seen and the status of medical care in their communities,” Mitchell said.

That information is then forwarded to the command of a certain area as a snapshot of what services are necessary in the command’s area of operations.

Ultimately, Mitchell said the goal is to develop clinics and a level of healthcare that will be sustainable once Coalition forces have left the region.

As an additional push to put Iraqis in the forefront, there is a company within TF 62 that offers Iraqis money to practice medicine at CMEs. “Part of the return to normalcy is getting Iraqi medical practitioners to return to the area,” Mitchell said, adding that some are returning slowly.

While the current state of medical care in many areas of Iraq is bleak and has a long way to go, improvement is on the horizon.

“Our objective of strengthening the villagers’ trust in local council and the government of Iraq, as well as providing much-needed medical care for the community, has been achieved,” said Capt. Martrell Gamble, Team Rak commander. “Team Rak was able to do our small part of what will be a continuous effort of providing assistance in improving the legitimacy of the GOI (Government of Iraq) and the Iraqi Security Forces while improving the residents’ perception of U.S. forces and advocates of human rights.

“We were glad we were able to participate and are looking forward to the next opportunity to provide support to the citizens,” Gamble said.

(Story by Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division)

In Other Recent Developments Here:

MOSUL — For the first time in 14 years, a commercial airlines flight departed the Mosul Airport Dec. 2, carrying Muslim religious pilgrims on their annual trek to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER — Task Force Iron, the multinational division responsible for operations north of Baghdad – launched another operation involving four U.S. brigade combat teams and three different Iraqi Army divisions across the northern provinces of Iraq, Nov 27.

Challenging the cult of Mumia Abu-Jamal

From Michelle Malkin’s Blog ~ By: Michelle Malkin •  December 4, 2007 08:18 AM